Fort Hamilton's Seba Nekhet (l.) scores as member of Lincoln defense takes stumble in end zone during PSAL quarterfinal on Saturday. (Ken Goldfield)

As the saying goes, when it's your time, it's your time. And on Saturday, Fort Hamilton's time came.

This became clear early in the fifth-seeded Tigers' 40-28 win over No. 4 Lincoln in a PSAL Championship Division quarterfinal playoff game on Coney Island.

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Junior running back Troy Booker got the Tigers on the board with a spectacular 31-yard, one-handed touchdown catch. Fort Hamilton quarterback Connor Fitzsimons lobbed the ball in the air as he was getting hit, not knowing where it would land or who would catch it.

The fact that Booker was there to bring it in was the first good omen for Fort Hamilton.

"I'm going to be completely honest with you," Fitzsimons said after the game, "as I was throwing, I got hit and I actually didn't know where it was going. I took the hit, looked downfield and saw Troy running for the touchdown."

That was the first of three touchdowns Booker scored, each as impressive as the last. He also scored the team's second touchdown on a 46-yard run, slashing through defenders like a knife through butter.

He also closed out the victory with an 18-yard TD run to put the Tigers up by 12.

Booker did most of his damage while battling the pain of an ankle injury he suffered in the first half.

"It was important I did that," Booker said about playing through the injury, "I couldn't let this be my last game, or my seniors' last game."

After getting hurt, Booker sat on the bench, looking down at his feet while his teammates glanced at him, worried they may have lost a crucial piece of their attack.

"Whether or not I'm having a good game, I know I can give the ball to him and he'll pick up yards," Fitzsimons said of Booker. "He's a great safety net."

Fitzsimons, while leaning on his dominant runners, threw the ball often and confidently for two touchdown passes, and occasionally ran the ball to pick up a two point conversion or a first down.

The Tiger's defense seized the momentum in the second half. The unit dominated the Railsplitters, allowing only one scoring play in the last two quarters. They forced turnovers and stopped the Railsplitters at the 1-yard line on three consecutive plays to get the ball back for what ended up being a crucial drive for the Tigers.

"Our defense and our offense came out slow in the first half," Joshua Duke, a senior safety who intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble, said, "So in the second half we really had to come out hard."

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"Our defense, especially our middle linebackers on that play at the 1-yard line, were an inspiration," said Reginald Wilson, a former Tiger player and current coach. "Everyone plays for the team here; no one plays for themselves."

In other PSAL quarterfinal games, there were several upsets, including No. 10 Curtis shocking top-seeded Tottenville, 46-41.